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Did you know most Georgia residents want action on climate change?

The year 2018 continues to unleash destructive extreme weather—extreme weather that scientists can now link to climate change—around the world and here at home.

Overnight and unexpectedly, category 1 Hurricane Michael exploded into being just two miles per hour short of a category 5 hurricane. It made landfall in the Florida panhandle, leveling Mexico Beach and doing widespread catastrophic damage throughout the panhandle.

Hurricane Michael rolled into south Georgia as a weak category 4 hurricane. That’s never happened before for as long as records have been kept. Six inches to 10 inches of rain fell in south Georgia, including four inches to six inches in metro Atlanta. The damage to crops is being assessed and is likely in the multi-millions of dollars.

Hurricanes get their strength from warm water, and the Gulf of Mexico was up to 2.5 degrees warmer than normal for that time of year. This is climate change.

The wildfires in western U.S. states made air quality in some major U.S. cities worse than in Beijing—and wildfire smoke drifted into Georgia and the East Coast’s upper atmosphere.

According to the 2018 edition of the Yale Climate Opinion Maps, here in Georgia, most residents know that climate change is real, that it’s mostly caused by human activities and that it’s affecting the weather. And most want carbon dioxide regulated as a pollutant.

76% of Georgians say CO2 should be regulated as a pollutant

The burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Human activity—primarily the burning of fossil fuels—is releasing CO2 into the atmosphere at a volume and rate that’s causing our planet to rapidly warm. This rapid warming is fueling extreme weather events. Across the world, there’s scientific consensus that this is happening.

Most Georgians want CO2 regulated as a pollutant. Yet the vast majority of Georgia’s current members of Congress still represent the view of a minority of us.

It’s time to elect members of Congress who will represent the view of the majority of us and enact legislation to reduce CO2 emissions.

See where your Congressional candidates stand on climate change

Our members of Congress have the ability to slow and solve climate change through the policies they create and enact. With every election, you have an opportunity to vote for candidates who will act on climate.

We’re a nonpartisan group who’ll keep you informed about the climate change positions of Georgia candidates in the November 6, 2018 Congressional midterm elections. District by district, we’ll let you know where the candidates stand on climate, so you can “vote climate” for a healthy Georgia and livable planet for your children and grandchildren.

But you can only vote climate if you actually vote—and millions of environmentalists across the country didn’t vote in the 2014 midterm and 2016 presidential elections. Sign the Environmental Voter Pledge to get reminders about your federal, state and local elections so you never miss an opportunity to vote climate.

Climate change is affecting Georgians’ health

A longer, hotter summer. More stagnant air. Smoke from wildfires. Metro-Atlanta had a sharp rise in the number of air quality alerts in 2016, along with a sharp rise in the number of emergency room visits for asthma. More

Climate change is affecting Georgia’s coast

Rising sea levels. Stronger storm surges. Sunny day flooding. Georgia’s coastal communities and coastline, including the only road on and off popular Tybee Island, are experiencing more frequent and intense flooding. More

Climate change is affecting Georgia’s crops

Severe summer heat. Drought. Extreme temperature swings. And most recently, north Georgia’s first-ever tropical storm. Some Georgia farmers lost entire corn crops in 2016. And many peach, blueberry, pecan and cotton crops were wiped out or heavily damaged in 2017. More

The good news is Georgians can help slow climate change

When we burn less fossil fuels and use more clean energy, we clean up our air. Clean up our water. And enjoy better health and healthier economic resources.

We can make this happen with market-based solutions that reduce CO2 emissions and climate risks as we grow jobs. Grow the economy. And protect public health. More